Vehicle stopped in Austria carrying immigrants had Spanish plates

A vehicle that was found to be transporting 26 refugees in Austria on Saturday had Spanish license plates, a police spokesperson revealed yesterday. The Austrian authorities have called on Spain for assistance with their investigation into the incident.

The vehicle is a Fiat Ducato registered in Spain," explained a spokesperson. "The driver was a Romanian citizen." The individual was arrested after trying to escape.

Among the refugees discovered in the back of the van were three children, who were showing signs of asphyxia and dehydration. The youngsters were taken by ambulance to a hospital in Braunau, and after receiving medical treatment were released on Sunday.

According to the Austrian police, their parents collected them in order to continue their onward journey to Germany.

The seemingly endless arrival of refugees to Western Europe along the so-called Balkan route saw a tragic incident in Austria last week, when a truck carrying 71 dead refugees – including four children – was found on a roadside. The Hungarian police have so far arrested five people in connection with the deaths, including the driver and co-driver of the truck, both of whom are from Bulgaria. Four people have been accused of offenses related to people-trafficking for profit, as well as charges of torture.